Home to Meet the Family
by IronRaven
Summary: Thanksgiving as we Americans know it is somewhat unique. Kitty takes Kurt home for the holiday. Kurty, there is a little Yiddish and German, but nothing too exotic.


**Home to Meet the Family**

This piece is set after the end of the series, and after Alex/Havok and X-23/Laura have joined the team. The younger X-Men have graduated and become instructors, while the New Mutants are now seniors in high school. For lack of a better year, let's say it is 2005.

_---x_

"Nah, it'll just be me and the Professor for most of the week. I'll enjoy the piece and quiet." Rogue lay back on her bed, stretching. "'Sides, you're probably sick of my face." She chuckled softly.

"Well, if you're sure." Kitty grinned at her roommate. "And if a certain Cajun shows up, like,nothing's going to happen, right?"

Rogue snarled, grabbing for her pillow. As she threw it, Kurt jumped jumped into the room, putting himself in the line of fire. The pillow caught him in the face. "HEH!" He pulled it off and threw it back, Rogue easily deflecting it with her foot.

"KURT! We might have been naked in here! Learn to knock."

"You always use that threat, sister-mine. I don't think you'll ever do it." Kurt laughed. "Aren't you packed yet! Come on Rogue."

Kitty picked up her backpack, Years of experience had finally taught her to pack light- her computer,clothes, Lockheed, uniform, and the field gear Scott made everyone carry. Kurt already had his. "She's going to stay here, she's like, waiting for Remmy to show up."

"Have fun, ya' two. Eat too much turkey for me."

_---x_

Thanksgiving is an odd holiday around the Xavier Institute. Due to the youth of many of the American students, they went to their parents. The older X-Men had once stayed to have the feast there, but as more international students had come in, it had become less common for students to be there during that week. Ororo and Hank were taking those who weren't going home on a field trip in Washington. There were enough X-Men and New Mutants who lived in the New York area that they had agreed to be on call. Alex and Scott were going to the younger Summer's adopted parents, and Jean was with them for the first time; Logan and Laura were going to jump from the Blackbird for a camping trip/survival exercise in the Rockies.

Kitty and Kurt weren't even going to be fancy enough for parachutes. "Elf, I'm not liking this plan." Wolverine was growling. Since his clone had joined them, they'd had a jumpmaster within the extended family. For those that wanted it, and had permission, skydiving had become just one of the slightly questionable skills taught at the Institute. "Kitty, I thought you were scared of jumping."

"Yeah, but I trust Kurt more than I do a tablecloth and some clothesline. And, like, the worst that would happen is I end up in China."

Logan's gene-daughter frowned. "You'd end up in the ocean, assuming you don't burn up in the mantel and gravity doesn't trap you at the core." Laura's sense of humor was still a work in progress.

"That isn't thepoint - if you two do this wrong you will fall and die and I'm not cleaning it up." Logan glared at them as he felt the Blackbird begin to drop. His shoulders slumped. "I can't talk you out of this, can I, Halfpint?"

They felt the familiar brush of Jean in their heads, whispering. _Thirty-five hundred feet. We'll be there in 30 seconds._

"We'll be OK., Mr Logan. Have fun."Kitty squeezed his shoulder with a smile.

"Jah- I haven't done it wrong practicing."

"You had a chute in practice. If you two screw this up, I'll never talk to you again." Maybe not the best threat for a death defying stunt, but it made perfect Laura-logic.

_Stay out of trouble you two-NOW! _

With Jean's shout, Kitty felt Kurt hug her,then BAMF! The Blackbird continued winging its way into the setting sun. Without the familiar and comforting solidness of the jet around her, she started to have doubts. She gulped, clutching Kurt tighter, squeezing him for dear life, before BAMF. BAMF-BAMF-BAMF-BAMF.

They dropped the last five feet to the ground, both rolling back and away from eachother as they hit. Kurt rolled over on all fours, panting. "Next time..."

Kitty wasn't any better, breathing in gulps, trying not to vomit, "Parachutes. We are using.. parachutes."

_---x_

Once Kitty got her bearings, they walked the half mile to her parents' home. By the time they got there, their legs were no longer trembling.

On the front porch, she reached her hand to the doorknob, and pulled it back. Blushing, she looked up at Kurt. "I haven't been home for so long..." She pressed the doorbell.

The door started to open,then it went wide. "Katherine! Welcome home!" The much older man was about Kurt's height and slim. He hugged her tight, kissing her cheek.

"Opa! I didn't know you were going to be here."

Still wrapped up in each other, he laughed. "What, I should spend another holiday looking at my fellow old foggies and kvetching about grandchildren that never write?"

Kitty pulled back, indignant. "I email you every day if I can."

Opa Pryde laughed as his fingers playfully tapped her nose. "I don't complain about you, except when you forget your manners." He nodded towards Kurt.

Kurt cleared throat nervously. Those who knew him could see the blush in his body language, hidden under the hologram and fur. "Hello, Sir, I'm Kurt, Kurt Wagner."

"But of course you are, young man." The older man reached for Kurt's hand, shaking it in both of his. "It would only be Kurt, Rogue or your Mister Logan that Kathrine would bring home, and you are not old enough to be he." His hands stopped in mid pump, fingers wiggling. "Well, this is interesting."

Kurt pulled his hand back as gently as possible, the body cringe worse than before. Kitty was blushing as well. Opa ment well, but there was a reason that Kurt didn't shake hands. She wanted to say something, but her mouth didn't want to work. Opa Pryde filled the awkward silence. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have embarrassed you, my boy. Call me Opa, And let's get inside, we're heating the whole outdoors."

The hugging was repeated with Kitty's parents, Carmen and Terri. Kurt had been introduced to them at graduation, but Kurt was still worried he'd get them confused- Terri was more a man's name to his mind.

It didn't take long to get them settled. Kitty in her old room, still stuffed with books, electronics parts, and stuffed animals, many gargoyles and dragons and griffens. Opa Pride had insisted on surrendering the guest room to Kurt, taking the couch. Between the rooms was that couch. When no one was looking, he gave Kurt a knowing grin, whispering "I'm a light sleeper, ja?"

Kurt felt the blush to the tip of his tail. _Maybe he's a telepath?_

Any further embarrassment was interrupted by Terri's call the supper was ready. The garden lasagna, salad and garlic bread was hot and plentiful. The conversation was part catching up between Kitty and her family, questions (and reassurances) about the life of the X-Men, and learning about Kurt. He knew he was being questioned, but never was he asked about his powers or his background. It was more of the "what kind of a guy are you" kind of questions.

Kitty held up her hand at the end of the meal, stopping her mother from clearing the table. "We've got it, mom. Go relax"

As soon as they were alone in the kitchen, Kurt hissed at her. "Kitty, everyone thinks we're dating. What did you tell them?"

"Not THAT. I swear." She reached through the cabinet, reaching for containers to put the left overs in. "They know that Rogue is my roommate, and that you two are my best friends and that you two are also instructors. I think I told them that you and Rogue are foster siblings, and that's it. Nothing more. And, yes, I know what my grandfather is thinking."

"Hey, hey." Nightcrawler grabbed his friend by her shoulders, holding her gently but firmly, a fast hug at a distance. "So we tell them the truth. Uhmm... does your Opa Know..."

"That we're mutants? Yeah, but he doesn't know what you do. But he knows that I phase." She spooned that last of the lasanga in a container, when her eyes went wide. "Oh! And he knows the wall won't stop me if I want to go in your room." She started giggling.

"Gah! That.. that..." Kurt sputtered, chuckling and muttering in his mix of German and English.

_---x_

Kurt lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Even at home, he hadn't felt as home. Mater and Vater Wagner had hidden him away. The loved him deeply, but he always knew he was different, the only people who had accepted him was their Gypsy friends.

When he came to the Institute, he'd scared a lot of people. Especially Kitty, and Rogue had been terrified of him. But here, he had been greeted like he was a long lost relative. He smirked, thinking about Opa Pryde's assumption. The older man had insisted on being called Opa Pryde, not "sir" or "Samuel" or "Mr Pryde". It made his fur ripple happily that they assumed he and Kitty had a relationship- he'd thought about the possibility enough times. It made him chuckle.

He heard the squeak of a bed frame on the otherside of the wall, and the end of the soft snoring. _Kitty must have rolled over._

Hi ears twitched at a slight sound. He glanced over by the door, and saw a sliver of light. _Someone else who can't sleep._ He paused to grab a tshirt along with his sweats, and made sure his image inducer was turned on before cracking the door.

"Evening Kurt." The thick book was set down, a ribbon marking the place.

"Gute nacht Opa, can't sleep?" He crouched down next to the arm chair.

He chuckled softly. "Didn't you know, old people like me don't need as much sleep." He looked down, rubbing his arm. "Kurt, may I ask you two things?"

"Ja, anything,"

"What are you intentions towards my granddaughter?"

"Huh? Vhat?"

"How do you feel about her?"

"She's my best friend. If she asked, I move heaven und earth for her; I trust her with my life, my soul. She got me to accept myself, and she made me and my sister a family. I..."

"You love her, don't you." No question, just a statement.

"Ja. I do." His voice was wistful. How long had it taken him to realize that himself?

"Good. I like you Kurt, you're a good man." A hand rested on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "I don't know what she saw in that dirtbag Alvers, he was no good for her. You, you're good for my Katherine."

"Dankeschön "

"Now- my other question is this: What are you hiding, Kurt? I'd like to know what you are hiding."

"Sir? Opa? Please." Kurt glanced toward's Kitty's door. "Some people think I look a little scary."

Opa Pride snorted. "Kurt, I've seen things that made sure I'd never be scared again in my life. Please, friends should not wear masks."

Nervously, Kurt's fingers switched off his inducer. His tail twitched behind him and his ears wiggled. He held his breath, waiting for the push or the shout or the heart attack.

"Very handsome. I would hide to, so I wouldn't have hundreds of shrieking female fans chasing me. Thank you, my boy."

Kurt blushed furiously under the fur. "I, uh, I've never had that problem. Other than the ones at the Institute, most girls have screamed when they see me." He bit his lip nervously, putting his three fingered hands on his knees. "I look a little demonic."

"Really? All the demons I've ever seen looked like every day, normal people. So did most of the angels." Samuel Pryde reached over, patting his torah fondly. "And why shouldn't they? Demons were angels once- the only way we could tell them apart is by their actions. Even demons sometimes do the right thing, for the wrong reasons."

Kurt's lips twisted up slightly. "Ja. Even sounds like a few mutants I know."

"Of that, there is no doubt. If I didn't think it would swell your head larger than it needed, I'd wonder if maybe you and the others aren't a new kind of angel. But you would look funny with a large head." Again, the almost silent laugh. "And on that note, Kurt, it is time for bed. A gute nakht,"

With her eyes wide, Kitty slide back into bed. It was her turn to stare up at the ceiling. She smiled slightly when she heard the soft, whispery snore of Kurt.

_---x_

Giving the shopping list one last look, Terri had found some items still needed before making Thanksgiving dinner. Kitty had volunteered immediately; Kurt had simply cringed at the thought of being in a car under Shadowcat's control, but he didn't try to run away like he would have once.

It was in the canned goods aisle that the ghost of the past showed up.

"Kurt" Kitty grabbed his arm tightly. "I need to hide- that's Lance's mother."

Kurt swore internally- he's almost forgotten Alvers had grown up in the same town as Kitty. He nodded when he saw no one looking from one end, then she phased into the soups.

"Ah man, Kitty, you've got the list."

_---x_

Other than that, the week was mostly spent cleaning The near run in with Mrs Alvers had been the only excitement until Thanksgiving itself.

Carmen's older brother Thomas was attending alone. Recently divorced, never the most happy person to be around, he was down right cold towards Kitty. He barely even acknowledged Kurt.

He ate sparingly, rarely contributing to the conversation. He mostly scowled at the food. The only time Thomas said much was when the topic of politics came up. The new Friends of Humanity group wasn't a party, but rather a coalition of hate and fear, with newly elected Assemblyman Kelly at the head of the pack.

Thomas was aware that he'd once been the principle of Bayville High, before running for office. Kurt did his best to become inconspicuous, while Kitty dredged up every lousy thing that she could remember about Kelly that wouldn't point to her being a mutant, much less an X Man.

It was like arguing with the wind, but less productive. It ruined desert, as the pies sat there, wanting to be eatten.

"Look, Kitty, I know you're one of them- you aren't exactly subtle and you and the skunk girl look good on camera.. I'm not saying that you need to wear a great big M on your clothes." Opa Pryde stiffened at that. "But someone should know who you are and what you can do."

"So you want to register us?"

"Yeah- you should be registered with government, just like guns should be."

Kurt pushed himself back, reaching to gather up the used dishes. "Let me clear the table, excuse me."

Terri nodded, starting with the pies themselves. To a saner person, it would have been a clear signal that the meal was done,but Thomas was just getting warmed up. She seemed relieved to be in the kitchen, shutting the door once she and Kurt had finished their retreat.

"I, I'm sorry, Terri."

"For what? He's always been a horse's ass- not your fault." Savagely, she started to stuff the dishwasher.

_---x_

The heated conversation in the dining room was interrupted by a screach of pain from the kitchen.

"Kurt!" Kitty didn't think as she phased through the table and her bigoted uncle, then the wall into the kitchen. Kurt was curled up on the floor, breathing hard, eyes closed.

Terri Pryde was staring in shock. "What happened? I let the dishwasher door close, and he screamed."

Kitty didn't wouldn't remember dropping to her knee at his side. So long as the inducer was on, there was no way to do an initial assessment on him. "Kurt, what happened? Did your tail get slammed?"

"Dah, Katzchen, mein schwanz." Kurt was either not aware or did not remember that this had a couple of meanings. Kitty blushed, knowing that someone was going to mistake it for a cruder meaning.

"Kurt, I need to see it." Kitty reaches for his wrist, turning off the image inducer. It wasn't quite what people might have expected, at the idea of Katherine reaching for her friend's "shwanz". A half naked Kurt might have shocked them less. Her fingers moving lightly, she tried to gently pull his tail where she could see it. "Kurt, I need you to uncurl it."

Thomas hissed in anger and hate. "Monster, freak. Serves you right, pretending to be a person."

Opa Pryde's lips pulled back as he grabbed his eldest's earlobe. "Come with me, you putz, let's get out of their way." He dragged his son behind him by the ear, like a misbehaving child, back into the dining room. Carmen pulled the door shut after them, a grim expression on his face.

"Thank you Opa, Dad." Kitty slowly ran her fingers along the length of his tail, her fingers brushing through the fine blue fur. His entire body stiffened as her fingers approached the injury, a whimper slipping out. "I don't think you broke it, just bruised it." Her fingers gently pinched down on the tip off his tail. "Can you feel that?"

"Jah"

Kitty reached into the freezer, pouring a handful of ice into a dish towel. She also grabbed a popsicle, "Here, bite on this for a minute."

She slid down to the floor, holding his tail in her lap as she wrapped the icepack around the injured part. "My poor fuzzy." Her free hand cupped the back of his head, scritching softly behind his ear. He groaned happily around the frozen treat, despite the pain. "I invited you here to enjoy some peace and quiet and you get maimed and put up with idiots."

She held his tail so it couldn't flick away. She wasn't sure it wasn't broken, the swelling had to come down to be sure. If it was, well, not much to do, just a like a broken toe. Splint it and tape it and hope no nerves were cut. They and her mother sat in silence, listening to the shouting through the wall.

"SILENCE!" Opa Pryde's normally soft voice cut through the air. "Do you hear what is coming out of your mouth? You are my son, but today, you shame me. No, do not speak, you do not utter your poisoned words"

"Father! You don't even know this Kurt, he's a total stranger."

"You are the one I don't know anymore. Kurt Wagner is an old and dear friend to this family, even if we haven't known him very long. You listen to this Kelly fellow and hear a leader. I listen to him to, but I hear a maniac, like the one elected in the old country when I was a boy. Katherine and her friends have saved your life, and you would thank her with a pogrom, a holocaust! When I was a boy, I wore a star on my jacket, or have you forgotten?"

"Father, please, deep breath." Carmen Pryde voice was clear, almost covering the sound of a chair on the wood floor. "Father is right, Thomas. If this is how you would treat your own family, maybe you are in the wrong house. You may leave. Now."

"And if I don't, mutant lover?"

"Then you'll be thrown out."

_---x_

Kitty closed her eyes. This wasn't going to end well. "Kurt, keep your tail still; I'll be right back." Kitty phased back out into the living room, in time to see the door slammed. Her father locked the door and turned off the outside light, further shunning the family fool.

"Daddy? Opa?" Kitty was shaking. "I'm sorry I screwed up Thanksgiving."

"You didn't honey." Her father hugged her tightly. "Thanksgiving is about family. Family are the people you put ahead of yourself. Thomas hasn't cared about anything more than himself since he was boy."

_---x_

Later in the evening, Kurt and Kitty bamf'ed up to the roof. His tail was badly bruised, but not broken.

"I'm sorry. I hope Thomas doesn't make you think less of my family."

Kurt laughed, putting his arm over her shoulder, rubbing his temple against hers. "Kitty, if one crazy person is all you have in your family, you are ahead of me. Rogue is the only sane person in in my family," There was rueful chuckle. "And that's questionable."

Kitty flushed slightly at the feel of his breath on her cheek. "So... like...."

"Ja, I like your family. I really like your Opa."

Kitty giggled. "Couldn't have guessed." She kissed her best friend's cheek lightly. "I think you're part of the family now."

**---Author's notes:**  
There are some references that tie into another piece I'm working on. I wanted to get this one posted for Thanksgiving. Not completely sure if I like all of it- in which case, I might pull it down and repost an improved version. LOL


End file.
